I don't understand it. It seems like every other week some association calls looking for donations. So far this year I've already donated to my local Police Officers Association ($100) and my local Legion Post ($25) and I've just had a call from New England Police Association soliciting cash for 'advanced training'. I know that my local Firefighters' Association will call at some point too. Where does it end?

Where are the 'phone calls from the "Software Engineers' Association" ? Why shouldn't the donate to pay for my training, or donate to provide funds to my family in the event of an accident?

It just doesn't add up. I'm sure that if George can find $100B+ for his pet project then he could find 1% of that to actually fund the veterans' needs. The Police seem to do a good job of holding Massachusetts hostage to get what they want (like mandated paid overtime for sitting in their cruisers at roadworks), so I am fairly sure that they have life insurance, probably paid for by the taxpayer.

Why do these organisations feel entitled to donations?